Touched

My trips to Jamaica have taught me a very important lesson: you never know who you’re going to touch.

Many web readers will remember our web article that recounted
AiG’s first outreach to the island nation of Jamaica. (See Jamaica—Vacation or Evangelism?) Frankly, back then we did not know what to expect.

I took 5 young men to work
and minister in a Bible camp there for two weeks. That first year,
AiG donated three large boxes of materials to give to children, to the Bible
college where the camp was held and to give away to various Christian leaders
on the island.

Since this first missions trip,
AiG has donated and shipped hundreds of books and literature to Jamaica (including
materials for a speaking tour conducted by AiG speakers). Next March, Dr Terry
Mortenson of AiG-US, will be going to speak at the Bible college where we
have served the youth for the past 4 years.

Because of the generous support
of many AiG friends, we have truly had an impact on the church and its leaders
in Jamaica. We have heard of some wonderful conversions.

My son, Dennis (now in college), was one of the first young
men to attend that initial Jamaican missions trip (and every one since,
by the way). He shared a thrilling story with me that I thought you would
like to read.

My trips to Jamaica have taught
me a very important lesson: you never know who you’re going to touch.

It started back in 2000. My dad had already taken a couple of
trips to Jamaica and had spoken at a few churches. On one of those trips,
church leaders told him about a camp, and they said that he should speak
there some day. They also told him to bring anyone else that he could
find, because this camp was always in need of workers.

So, in the summer of 2000,
four of my basketball teammates, my father and I flew to Jamaica. Our job
at camp was simple: we were to do whatever they told us! So, we were assistant
counselors to the male Jamaican counselors, and we also worked with children
ages 6-12. In addition, we taught basketball to the campers during sports
time.

It was a challenge. The language
was hard to understand, the water was dirty (I remember a girl from another
group who picked up a parasite that made her very sick) and the food was,
well, different. I remember the look on my friends” faces when we had “chicken
foot soup,” and there was a big ol” chicken claw floating in it!

One evening, during chapel,
the preacher (affectionately called “Parrot”—we all had nicknames while
there!) spoke a powerful message of salvation. About one fourth of the 120
children came forward to receive Christ. It overwhelmed the Jamaican counselors,
forcing me and my teammates to take a few of the children ourselves and share
with them how they could have assurance of eternal life in Christ.

I remember taking a young boy, about 9 years old, by the
hand and leading him outside. His name was Mark—a shy lad. I sat
him down under a tree and asked him, “Why would you want Christ
in your life?” I remember the shy, timid look that he gave me,
and he said, “I’m scared. I don’t want to go to hell.”
That was the first time in my life that I had the chance to lead someone
to Christ, and I promised myself that I would never forget Mark.

After that evening, our job became much easier, and the
children really opened up to us. They’d sit with us in the cool
shade and play with our hair. Many of them had never seen blond hair
before, and they’d yell, “You’ve got dog hair!”
and then laughed at us.

That one week in Jamaica touched my life. I just couldn’t
stay away. So last summer was my fourth year in Jamaica. We were no
longer strangers to the camp, and we were no longer “assistant
counselors.” For the first time in the history of the camp, the
leaders decided that because of our previous work, we would now be “lead
counselors.” I had the responsibility of overseeing a room of
boys; they actually listened to me as if I were a Jamaican myself. At
the end of camp, I was voted “Favorite Male Counselor.”

During the second week of camp (for ages 12–16), there
was one camper who especially sought me out. He always had a smile on
his face, and wore basketball clothes wherever he went. Whenever I sat
down, he would run and jump on my back and yell “Guppy!”
(my camp nickname), and would laugh. I kept wondering to myself why
he followed me around so much.

One day while this young boy was climbing on me, a Jamaican
counselor called over to him, “Hey! Mark, leave poor Guppy alone!”
When he jumped off of my back, I froze. “Mark?” I thought
to myself, “No, it couldn’t be!” I had never forgotten
the name, but Mark had changed so much that I didn’t recognize
him from my previous trip. He was so full of joy now—not at all the
scared, timid little boy that I knew when he was 9.

I had touched his life and
I had no idea how.

Some day in heaven, this may happen to you: You will be
walking around in God’s kingdom, and someone will be following
you around. Finally you’ll turn around and say, “Can I help
you?” With a smile, this person will say, “If God didn’t
use you, I wouldn’t be here. You touched my life.”

As a father, I’m so glad that my son has such a passion
for world missions. And I’m so grateful that so many of you have
supported AiG’s “creation evangelism” outreaches around
the world. Indeed, AiG has been blessed to able to “touch”
many people with our materials. We’ve been able to ship thousands
of materials across the world to missionaries to assist them in sharing
the gospel. Also, well over 9,000 people in 95 countries have downloaded
our free graphics on this website that
they can use in their personal ministry!

Up to 34,000 people a day are
coming to this AiG website to become equipped to share their faith. Also,
AiG speakers have given talks to tens of thousands in 2003. All of this is
possible because God has used so many of you to support “creation evangelism”
around the world.

I can’t wait for the Creation Museum
near Cincinnati, Ohio, to finally open. It will see even more Christians
getting excited about their faith after getting answers. So, please pray
for this upcoming outreach, and for all of AiG’s Bible-proclaiming
ministries.

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Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. We focus on providing answers to questions about the Bible—particularly the book of Genesis—regarding key issues such as creation, evolution, science, and the age of the earth.